Hunstville, Alabama has been an aerospace hub since the early 1950s when the plan for NASA was conceived under the adminstration of President Dwight D. Eisenhower. In the 21st Century, its diverse economy in Madison and Limestone Counties inthe north of the state still includes NASA, aeronautics and aerospace business, national defense and related technologies and emerging industries. In fact, in the year 2008, America celebrated its 50th year of space exploration, the Saturn V Museum at the US Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville opened, and Space Camp Huntsville enjoyed its 25th year anniversary. Relative to this, Cummings Research Park has been successful since 1962 as the 4th largest research park globally and second in the USA.

Recognitions as a Best City

• November 2008 - Madison County recognized as one of the top Best Places to Live to survive a falling economy.
• November 2008 - Expansion Solution's Top 5 cities in the US for Aerospace Companies.
• September 2008 - US News & World Report's 10 Best Cities for Job-seeking Retirees
• February 2009 - A leading city in the American South for Defense Jobs
• January 2009 - Standard & Poor’s highest “AAA” bond rating for local economic strength.
• January 2009 - Yahoo HotJobs' 10 Great Cities for Salary Growth.
• Popular Science - A 2008 Top Green City.

The State of Alabama has reported in its economic outlook reports ending December 2008, that the Greater Huntsville Area contains the highest concentration of engineers in the US.

Employers creating the highest numbers of new jobs openings in Hunstville include the following high-tech firms:

1. Teledyne Brown Engineering - Commercial physical/biological research
2. WILL Technology - Computer integrated systems
3. DHS Systems - Mfg of canvas products
4. ERC, Inc. - Commercial physical/biological research
5. AEgis Technologies - Commercial physical/biological research

Additional companies producing relatively higher numbers of new jobs specialize in Biotechnologies.

1. US Army - Redstone Arsenal Government: nearly 15,000 staff.
2. Huntsville Hospital System Health Care
3. The Boeing Company - Aerospace/Defense
4. Huntsville City Schools
5. CINRAM Audio/Video Duplication
6. NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center
7. Sanmina-SCI Corporation - Electronic Components
8. Intergraph Corporation - Computer Services
9. City of Huntsville - Govt
10. Madison County Schools

Additional Top Employers include many in the Defense and Aerospace Industry or related research:

• SAIC
• Teledyne Brown Engineering
• Unviersity of Alabama
• Northrop Grumman
• Alabama A&M University
• Dynetics, Inc. Aerospace and Defense
• Jacobs Aerospace and Defense
• COLSA Corporation
• ITT Corporation
• DRS Test & Energy Management
• Lockheed Martin
• Raytheon Company
• PPG Industries, Inc.

Electronics, Education, and Healthcare offer additional larger employers.

1. Registered Nurses (RNs) - including at research universities and government & military installations.
2. Network Systems and Data Communications Analysts
3. Medical Assistants
4. Home Health Aides
5. Fitness Trainers and Aerobics Instructors
6. Computer Software Engineers, Applications
7. Physical Therapists
8. Personal Financial Advisors
9. Dental Hygienists
10. Dental Assistants

A relativerly higher demand exists also for Veterinary Technologists and Technicians in the Healthcare Industry and for various categories of engineers.

The city schools K-12 are a step ahead of much of the nation, supplemented by specifically dedicated Magnet Schools that educate students with an eye toward gainful employment, and via Toyota Distance Learning Labs, Through the Internet, students can take a more diverse set of courses and listen to specially qualified speakers in nearly any field, including emerging occupations and industries. Many students take advantage on simultaneous high school and college enrollment as well. Space Science (NASA-led), engineering, adn research are all particular foci of certain magnet schools, but the arts are also targeted by others.

College and Vocational Level Education

• Alabama A&M University http://www.aamu.edu/ - Many degrees of all levels. The Graduate School is one of the largest historically black colleges in the US.
• Calhoun Community College - Partners with Decatur area, a Research Park in Huntsville, and the Redstone Arsenal.
• Defense Acquisition University (DAU) South - Mandatory, mission-required, and Adult Continuing Education for military and civilian personnel. Serves over 140,000 people. Develops a top-of-the-line Acquisition Workforce for America.
• JF Drake State Technical College www.dstc.cc.al.us
• Faulkner University Huntsville www.faulkner.edu/
• Florida Institute of Technology - Redstone Graduate Center http://segs.fit.edu/redstone - Serves greater Huntsville Area residents, government and private employees, businesses, military, and families with advanced training in engineering and management. Distance Learning is also popular and effective.
• Oakwood University - Well known for all of its programs, it is especially recognized nationwide for its medical school training.
• UAHuntsville www.uah.edub - University of Alabama at Huntsville is a national research university ranked among the US 100 Best College Buys for 2003 – 2004 for its business and technology superiority. Undergraduate business programs are nationally recognized and the graduate school provides a Master of Science degree in Acquisition Management.
• Virginia College at Huntsville - Associate degrees in allied health, computerized drafting, CIS, electronics, legal professions, medical ministration and office systems.

Founded after the American Revolution, Huntsville began as an agricultural economy that included cotton. The railroad was also a large contributor to economic growth for passengers and freight transport. After Civil War reconstruction, Huntsville became a center of the cotton and cotton textiles industries until the end of the 1990s.

Redstone Arsenal of the US Army brought increased traffic and residents to the are in the early 1940s. When Marshall Space Flight Center was opened in 1960, further economic development occurred, accompanied by growth in sciences, engineering and technologies and related manufacturing. The US Army Aviation & Missile Command joined the military industrial complex in Huntsville as well, with major functions during the Cold War.

When the Apollo Mission was completed, Huntsville was temporarily at a loss economically, but the Space shuttle Program of the 1980s revived growth. The 1990s and 2000s saw a surge in privatization of certain aspects of space exploration and commercial business, set to expand rapidly from 2009 - 2016. In the last quarter of 2007, the Greater Huntsville Area was home to over 387,000 people.

Visit US Army/ Redstone Arsenal at www.garrison.redstone.army.mil/ and learn more about Greater Huntsville.

• Huntsville Alabama Jobs - Govt jobs at http://www.federaljobsearch.com/loc/5_1.asp?cid=0&tid=49760533
• Huntsville Area Jobs on CareerBuilder.com -- http://www.careerbuilder.com/JobSeeker/Jobs/JobDetails.aspx?job_did=J3F1V97936YKDS9ZQNK
• Forbes Magazines' A Smart Place: Huntsville/Madison County at http://www.asmartplace.com/